


Home and Garden

by ClagJanetSMK



Series: A Pandemic Alphabet [8]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: 2020 Lockdown Stories, Dotty is smart, F/M, Family, Friendship, H is for Home, Heart-to-Heart, Meeting an Ex, Recovery from injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27806170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClagJanetSMK/pseuds/ClagJanetSMK
Summary: A sequel to my story "Mirror of Gold". Lee and Dotty have a heart-to-heart while Amanda has an adventure in the field.
Relationships: Amanda King/Lee Stetson
Series: A Pandemic Alphabet [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031118
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My story "Mirror of Gold" (available on Fanfiction.net) where it was Lee that was shot on their honeymoon instead of Amanda, was never intended to have a sequel and yet, here we are. For story purposes, I have moved the episode "One Flew East" closer to the end of the season because no one should have been running around chasing bad guys a week after getting out of hospital. This one takes place (more or less) immediately after the last story.

Lee made his way slowly out the back door and into the garden, lowering himself into a garden chair with a sigh. It had been three weeks since he'd been shot in Las Palmas and one week since Amanda had overridden all his objections and brought him home to Maplewood Drive to recuperate, but he still ached if he tried to do too much.

His objections to moving in here had been short-lived, he admitted to himself. He had put up a nominal fuss about letting her family get used to him first, but once the cat was out of the bag about their elopement, it had been ludicrous to think he was going anywhere but home with his wife. And he had to be honest, it really was better to be healing under the loving ministrations of Amanda and Dotty instead of how he'd always handled his past injuries: holing himself up in his apartment, eating takeout and generally ignoring the doctor's recommendations about how long he should wait before going back to work. There was no chance of that this time – Amanda was an iron fist in a velvet glove and Billy certainly wasn't going to listen to his pleas that he felt better when his wife was saying otherwise – not to mention the fact that he was in the doghouse for even having that wife in the first place and not mentioning it to his boss. So he was stuck at home and Amanda was back at work, facing the constant teasing of co-workers who, no doubt had long suspected they were having a relationship and would want to tell her all about it. He definitely didn't envy her that part.

He shifted in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position. He also had to admit that unlike previous times, this shooting had really knocked him for a loop. Of course, the other times had been minor wounds to his shoulder and leg, not a blast to his chest, but it was taking him so much longer to recover this time. Maybe he was just getting too old to bounce back like he used to, he thought wryly. The faint sunshine that bathed the patio was getting warmer, promising that spring really was coming. He should have put on a sweater or something, he thought, having had more optimism about that sun than he should have. He'd managed to have a few visits to the hospital garden in his last few days in California, and the weather there was definitely a lot warmer, even in early March. This was home though, and that fact alone made this the place he wanted to be.

As if in answer to his thought, a blanket was dropped around his shoulders and Dotty began tucking it around him.

"You looked cold," she said. "I'd have brought you a jacket, but I know you still can't put one on easily."

"Dotty!" he said plaintively, "You don't need to mother me – I'm a grown man!"

Dotty bent a skeptical look on him. "Were you cold?"

Lee looked abashed. "Well, yes actually."

"Well, then," she said. She pulled a table closer and another chair, then disappeared around the side of the house, reappearing a moment later with a tray full of gardening materials that she put down on the table in front of him. When she disappeared again and then reappeared carrying a large bag of potting soil, Lee started to stand up to help her.

"Sit down," she ordered in a voice that brooked no argument and Lee subsided sheepishly.

"You shouldn't have to do that," he complained.

"First of all, I'm in better shape to lift this than the man with a hole in his chest and secondly, I've been gardening all my life and the day I can't heft a bag of soil by myself, you might as well put me in the ground like one of my tulip bulbs," she stated. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lee knew that tone of voice from dealing with his uncle and leaned back in his chair.

"However, you're perfectly capable of helping me with the rest," she said, pushing a stack of small pots towards him.

"I'd be happy to. What are we doing?"

"I'm getting seedlings started for the garden," Dotty answered, moving a small trowel closer to him. "Just fill the pot to about two-thirds, add a seed or two and cover it up. We'll water them when everything's done."

"It's that simple?" he asked.

"Even a child can do it," Dotty teased him. "In fact, usually Phillip and Jamie help me, but you seemed like you needed something to do today. You're restless and that's not a good thing in a man who's been ordered to take it easy."

Lee was quiet for a moment as he started to work before finally saying, "It feels weird that Amanda's at work and I'm not."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, she'd rather be here," commented Dotty.

Lee grimaced. "It doesn't really. If she was here, she'd be bothering me by hovering, and now she's at work and I'm bothered by missing the hovering." Off Dotty's look, he rushed on. "Not that I don't appreciate the way you're both looking after me, it's just- "

"That you'd rather be doing something," finished Dotty. "Amanda's father was the same way."

Lee waved a cup of dirt around. "It just feels wrong. And why did she have to come home to change clothes? She looked fine in what she was wearing."

"She looked fine for a normal day," agreed Dotty. "But if she had to go interview someone who can afford a house in Kalorama, I can see why she'd want to gussy herself up a bit."

"But why?" asked Lee. "She shouldn't have to get dressed up for anyone."

"Unless she's trying to make an impression." Dotty hid her smile as Lee scowled at the implications of that.

"Amanda's not impressed by money or power," he pointed out. "Or by the kind of people that have that kind of money and power."

"No, she isn't," Dotty agreed, hands still busy with her planting.

"So why wouldn't she tell me who she was interviewing?" he groused.

"Maybe she didn't want you to think you were missing out on something fun," mused Dotty.

In fact, not only had Amanda refused to say exactly what she was doing today, she'd actually told him, out of Dotty's hearing, that it was need to know. Her smile at his reaction had not made him feel any better about it. The kind of people he knew who lived there were rich, famous, powerful men like Blackthorne and were absolutely not to be trusted. If she wouldn't tell him, it wasn't because he'd be envious, it was almost certainly because she knew he'd worry. He jammed another seed in the dirt and glared at it.

"So, what are you planting this year?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I have a few plans," said Dotty, "but these are going to be for the bed under the kitchen window. I think I might finally get lucky and keep something growing there this year."

A guilty look went across Lee's face and he suddenly found himself very interested in making sure he was getting the seeds planted correctly. Dotty gave the top of his head a smile and let the silence draw out a little longer as she worked.

"You know," she said, finally, "it's funny how something you learn when you're young turns out to be so interesting later."

"Is it?" Lee asked, grateful that the subject had apparently been changed.

"Yes," said Dotty. "For instance, when I was young and just starting to date Carl, it was just after the war and we didn't have a lot of money, so we used to go to the beach a lot."

"And that helped you with gardening?" asked Lee in confusion.

"Oh no, Darling," chuckled Dotty. "It taught me about biology. And physiology."

Lee looked up and met her eyes, startled. "Dotty, if this is going to be the birds and the bees talk…"

Dotty let out a yelp of laughter. "Dear me, no! I think you have that all figured out. I meant that because we spent a lot of time at the beach, there were a lot of men with their shirts off and whatnot. Not that I was really looking at anyone but Carl, of course. He was the handsomest man. A real 11, if you know what I mean." Her gaze turned dreamy for a moment, lost in memories.

"Okaaay," Lee replied, still at sea.

Dotty's gaze turned back to him, then back to the gardening task in front of her. "Anyway, like I said, it was just after the war and so many men had come back by then. Not all of them, of course, but a lot of them."

Lee nodded, reaching to trowel dirt into another small pot.

"And you know," she continued, hands still busy with the seeds, "it was so commonplace to see a man who had been hurt in the war that after a while, you stopped noticing the scars and the wounds and whatnot. They were almost sort of invisible and you just saw the man."

"Oh," said Lee. "Do you think I'm worried this will bother Amanda?" He gestured to his chest.

"Oh no, Lee, Amanda would never be bothered by anything like that at all!" exclaimed her mother.

"Well then-"

"I meant that, even though I got used to seeing them, I know what it looks like on a man when he's been shot," explained Dotty. She paused in her work and looked up to meet his gaze. "And I certainly know what it looks like when it's happened more than once."

"Ah," said Lee, eyes widening.

"Ah, indeed," said Dotty. She out down her tools, leaned on the table on crossed arms on the table and looked him in the eye. "Now, how about you explain to me why a man with an old gunshot wound on his right shoulder and another scar on his left side and who knows how many others I haven't seen, along with the fresh new hole in his chest is worried about Amanda going to interview someone for work in a nice neighborhood? Should I be worried as well?"

There was a long silence while Lee thought feverishly about what he could say. Finally, he pointed to the left side of his chest and said, "That one was a knife, actually."

"Oh, that makes me feel _so_ much better!" scolded Dotty. "Now answer my question."

"She'll be fine," said Lee. "Billy wouldn't send her anywhere dangerous. It's Kalorama, for heaven's sake, not Kabul."

"Billy?" Dotty pressed him. "Is that your boss?"

Lee nodded. "Billy Melrose."

"Melrose," Dotty echoed. "And would that be the same Mr. Melrose that came sniffing around here after you two ran off last fall? And then helped out Harry?"

"Yes," Lee answered.

Dotty stared at him stonily for a moment, and then relaxed a little. "Well, I may not have enjoyed my run-ins with him, but I do believe he has your best interests at heart."

"He absolutely does," said Lee fervently.

"Well, alright then. Now, since we have nothing but time on our hands until Amanda comes home and refuses to tell us anything about her day, how about you tell me just how long you two have really known each other?"

"Wouldn't you rather wait until Amanda comes home and ask us together?" asked Lee weakly, knowing he was in for the interrogation of a lifetime.

Dotty picked up a pot and spooned in some dirt. "No, I don't think so. You see, once it occurred to me that you'd been shot before, a lot of things started to look very clear in hindsight and I want to know if I'm right. The boys are at school, Amanda is out and no one is around to eavesdrop. Now spill." She waved the trowel at him. "And I've been hearing Amanda fudge the truth for a long time now, and I can smell a lie, so don't even think about trying to weasel out of telling me the truth."

Lee gave up. "There's a lot of it I can't tell you," he said.

"I'm sure there is," she nodded. "And that's why I'm not going to ask for details. But since Amanda once told me she was a spy and sent me out of town claiming there was a nuclear bomb, I think you can assume I can use my imagination to fill in the details."

Lee closed his eyes and let his head drop onto his chest. "I'd forgotten that."

"So had I until I started putting the pieces together," said Dotty. "Now I'm not asking you to tell me any of that. Although…" her voice drifted off.

"What?'

"Will you still be doing things I don't want to know about when you go back to work? Will I need to worry about both of you?"

Lee opened his mouth to start the usual platitudes, then paused. "Actually, probably not," he admitted.

"Really?" she asked. "Why not?"

"A lot of reasons," he replied. "This injury being one of them. No one's going to want the guy with a recent life threatening injury running around. And I'm closer to 40 than 30 now and I really should be leaving that kind of stuff up to the younger guys…"

"And what else?" Dotty prompted him.

"And I married your daughter," he answered. "I fell in love and married her and I have a reason to want to come home every night. I want a family life along with a career. I want to see these flowers come up this year, and next year and the year after that. I've been at this long enough that a lot of my usefulness is what's up here" he tapped his head – "and not what I can do physically. So, with this and that, I'll probably be pushed closer to a desk job. And since Amanda came in a bit late to really get a lot of physical training, and her strengths are analysis and personal relations, she doesn't need to be in the field."

"Well, that's a relief." she admitted. "So I know you can't tell me anything about your work but I do want to hear how you fell in love with my daughter."

"Ah, well that was the easy part," answered Lee, his face lighting up. "Sometimes I think I started to fall in love with her the day we met…"

Dotty couldn't help smiling back at the expression on his face. "Well, then start with that."

"Well, that's a funny story," he said. "It was one morning at the train station…"


	2. Chapter 2

Amanda sat in the front seat of the Agency sedan, idly chewing her thumbnail. Francine was driving since she knew the way, so she had time to think about the upcoming interview. The car was silent because Francine had left her to her thoughts, but not in an uncomfortable way. Not the way it had been for a few days after Francine had found out she and Lee were married and her feelings had been hurt at their secrecy. That silence had been uncomfortable since it had taken the form of Francine being absolutely professional and not saying anything to either of them that wasn't polite and superficial – so unlike her normal self that they were both at a loss to know how to deal with it. They had always assumed that they'd be able to work out a way to slowly tell their family and friends about it; they hadn't thought it would all be blown apart by a sudden violent injury that made it clear that subterfuge was not their best idea.

Out in Las Palmas, Francine had greeted the news that they'd been married with apparent equanimity, just clicking her jaw shut and staring at them for a moment before saying "I see" and then turning and leaving the room. After that she had been busy wrapping up the case against Brockett and Scott and Amanda's attention had all been concentrated on Lee's recovery and neither she nor Lee had noticed how subdued she was. It wasn't really until they were back at home and Amanda had ventured into work that either of them realized how angry she was…

* * *

" _Welcome back, Mrs. Stetson," Billy had teased her on her first day back and Amanda had blushed as she looked around at the knowing grins of her co-workers._

" _Thank you, Sir. It's good to be here. And although my partner," - muffled laughter greeted this – "isn't here, he asked me to thank you all for your help and to tell you he's up for visitors anytime." She looked around the bullpen, greeting smiles with her own, until her eye lighted on Francine who was at her desk, apparently deep in research and paying no attention at all._

_She wandered closer. "Francine? Lee would really like to see you most of all. He's going crazy with no one to distract him but me and my mother."_

_Francine had barely lifted her gaze from the computer screen to acknowledge her. "We'll see. I'm pretty busy these days, especially since we've been two agents down for the past few weeks."_

" _Oh," Amanda murmured, hurt by the jibe but knowing that it was true – they were only supposed to have been gone one week on their honeymoon and it was now almost a month later. "Well, if you do get a chance, the door is always open."_

_That first day back had been so odd – either alone in the Q Bureau in the unsettling silence or down in the bullpen being the butt of too many jokes to mention, friendly jokes to be sure, but it was still a lot to deal with without Lee at her side. When she finally left for the day, Francine was emerging from the elevator into the lobby as she came down the stairs. Amanda had smiled at her, but Francine didn't show a flicker of reaction. Well, then._

" _Good night, Mrs. Marston, good night, Francine," Amanda said, moving towards the door._

" _Amanda!" Francine's voice wasn't friendly, but at least she'd said something._

_Amanda turned, brow raised. "Yes?"_

" _How is Scarecrow? Really?"_

" _Lee is doing very well," Amanda emphasized his name just a little. "But you know what he's like when he's forced to sit still – it drives him crazy."_

_Francine stared at her for a moment before nodding decisively. "I'll come by the house later if you meant it about visiting."_

_Amanda beamed. "Of course, I meant it! He'd love to see you!"_

_As good as her word, Francine had dropped by a few hours later. Amanda suspected she had waited until after dinner and for the boys to disappear down the street on their bikes for an evening game of softball in the park, since she still seemed uncomfortable dealing with children. Just as well, Amanda thought. Phillip's teenage years had brought along bedroom walls plastered with posters of buxom blondes draped over cars and he'd probably have unnerved Francine if he'd been around to goggle at her._

_She was skittish enough with just the adults there, unable to sit still, walking around the room, picking up things and putting them down again, keeping up an inconsequential monologue about the embassy parties she'd been to that week and still barely making eye contact._

_Even Dotty had been aware of the tension and had excused herself not long after, pointedly remarking that she was headed up for a nice long bath and a good book._

_Lee and Amanda had exchanged a look, silently discussing her obvious discomfort, and Lee had finally taken the lead on interrupting her. "It's really good to see you," he remarked, "especially since I don't think I got a chance to thank you properly for looking after everything out in California. You were a real friend."_

_Francine stopped her pacing and zeroed in on him. Amanda was almost amused at the way it looked like her jaw was grinding the way Lee's did when he was angry._

" _Am I? Am I really?" The questions burst about of her as if they'd been held inside under pressure for too long, as indeed they probably had. "Because I would think that a friend would know when two of her best friends get married! A friend wouldn't be left in the dark about something like that! A friend wouldn't be lied to when she assumes the Mrs. Stetson thing is just a cover!"_

" _Francine, we didn't even tell my mother," Amanda interrupted feebly._

_Francine turned her steely gaze on her. "And look how well that turned out! I'll bet she's_ _**thrilled** _ _you eloped with never a word to her!"_

_They both grimaced in acknowledgement, but Francine wasn't done yet._

" _Did you even tell her you were going away together? Or where? What if you'd been the one who got shot, Amanda? How would you have explained that? Did you even think of any consequences?" She was back to pacing now, throwing her hands in the air. "What if you'd been killed, Lee? Did you think about how much time Amanda would have had to spend proving she was your widow instead of getting to deal with it like a normal person? Mired in bureaucracy instead of having the full force of the Agency behind her as support?"_

" _But I wasn't killed," Lee said, mildly._

" _BUT YOU COULD HAVE BEEN!" shouted Francine. She dropped into a chair, suddenly looking exhausted. "You could have been," she repeated quietly._

" _This wasn't anything we could have expected," said Amanda, moving to perch beside her and drop an arm around her shoulders. "It wasn't work, it was just supposed to be a relaxing vacation. It was just bad timing we were in the wrong place at the wrong time."_

" _A relaxing honeymoon, you mean," said Francine, starting to glare again. "I cannot believe you didn't think you could trust me with that. You let me look like an idiot the whole time I was there instead of just telling me up front."_

" _I didn't want to tell anyone without Lee," Amanda tried to explain. "We'd kept it a secret for so long and we'd only been married two days…"_

" _But why keep it a secret at all?" asked Francine._

" _We thought we were protecting the family," said Lee feebly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," he added in the face of her incredulous expression._

" _You're right, we should have told you, admitted Amanda. "We should have told all of you. If I learned anything at work today from all the jokes, it's that we weren't fooling anyone anyway."_

" _You thought you were?" asked Francine in astonishment. "You thought that no one had noticed you flirting in the hallways? Or spending every minute together?"_

" _We weren't really thinking about anything but keeping the boys safe," said Lee. "It felt like if no one could connect them to me, they wouldn't be a target."_

_Francine rolled her eyes. "Oh sure – just look at the facts! In the last eight months alone, you two have only been the target of both a Russian rogue agent_ _**and** _ _a Middle Eastern terrorist," she continued sarcastically. "As if that wouldn't have set off alarm bells in every intelligence agency in the world! If they don't all have several inches of file on both of you, I'll eat my hat! But why would they have to? Everyone knows Amanda is your partner and she's in the damn phone book!"_

" _You're right," said Amanda with a sigh. "Billy gave me the same speech about ignoring the Agency protocols for families. And we should have time to get all those in place now that we're both grounded for a while."_

" _Just until I get back into shape," promised Lee._

" _So not any time soon," replied Francine sarcastically. Both Lee and Amanda visibly sagged at that thought. "Oh, come on, it's not so bad, is it? It won't take forever, and in the meantime, you can learn how to do home repairs and barbecue and hog the remote control like a regular husband. I can see the movie now." She waved her hand as if gesturing to an invisible marquee. "Scarecrow Stetson: The_ _spy who was eaten by suburbia"._

_And just like that, they knew they'd been forgiven._

* * *

So today's silence was just the quiet of two people thinking about the job ahead, although at least one of them had more to think about. Francine pulled into the driveway of the large white mansion and looked over at Amanda.

"You ready for this?"

"I think so." Amanda took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Francine? If Lee had been available, do you think he'd have been sent on this job?"

Francine shrugged. "Who knows? Probably? You know better than anyone how he can charm anyone, and we've been ordered to treat this with kid gloves. But you have your own skills and I think Billy was probably right to send you on this one."

"I feel so out of practice," Amanda confessed. "And I could feel everyone at work watching me leave, wondering how I'd handle it."

"You'll be fine," Francine replied. "It's like falling off a bicycle. And besides, it's not like this is a hostile witness."

Amanda gave her a wry look. "Are you sure about that?"

"Well, looks like it might be a hostile interrogation,' Francine grinned. "Do you want me to take the lead?"

"Let's see how it goes."

They got out of the car and headed for the front door, Amanda unconsciously smoothing her hands down the front of the outfit she'd changed into after hearing about this assignment. After showing their Agency identification to a maid who seemed unsurprised to see them, they were led through the graciously appointed house and out onto the patio where a gorgeous blonde could be seen sunning herself in a swimsuit that definitely fell into the category of "less is more". Amanda smiled to herself; Phillip and Lee were so very alike sometimes.

"Well, look what the maid dragged in," drawled the woman as she got to her feet and stretched like a cat. "It's Francine Desmond isn't it? I think we met back in the day."

"Yes, that's right," said Francine. "And this is my associate-"

"Amanda King," said Amanda quickly, holding out her hand. She caught Francine's raised eyebrow and quick nod of understanding out of the corner of her eye. "How do you do, Ms. Danton?"

"I'd say very well, but there was a time when Austin knew to send me a big handsome man to interrogate me," she smirked. She looked at Francine. "I'm sure you remember."

"How could any of us forget?" said Francine in cool tones. "That French violinist had to leave town under a cloud of gossip."

"Ah, those were the days," said Elisa with a satisfied smile. "But really? No Lee Stetson come knocking to see if he could bend me around his little finger or some other body part, just like the old days?" She pretended to pout. "How disappointing. I shall have to scold Austin."

"I'm afraid Mr. Stetson isn't available," said Amanda. "He's recovering from a field injury."

Elisa perked up. "Oh dear, does he need a nurse? I still have a few of his dress shirts and a pair of socks in my closet that I really should return to him. In case I need an excuse to drop by. Not that I ever did."

"He's doing just fine," said Francine. "I don't think you need to put yourself out."

"Oh, I see," said Elisa, eyes narrowing. "He's already got a nameless blonde to coo over him and nurse back to health, I take it."

"Her name is Dotty, actually," said Amanda blandly, ignoring Francine's muffled snort of laughter. "They seem quite smitten with each other."

"Dotty? How refreshingly old-fashioned," answered Elisa. "Of course, he always did enjoy the classic things in life. I was never sure who he loved more – me or that Porsche of his."

"Well, he did love that car," said Amanda, "but he's changed a bit in the last few years," said Amanda. "In fact, he got rid of the Porsche quite a while ago."

"He did? He must have been positively distraught to lose her," said Elisa.

"He moved on. And he seems quite happy with the newer model," Francine smiled.

"Does he now?" Elisa's gaze turned dreamy. "Maybe I'll look him up anyway. See if an old friend can help him recuperate faster."

"I'm sure he'd be delighted," Amanda murmured. "Old friends really are the best medicine, aren't they?"

Elisa's smile flickered slightly as she tried to decide if Amanda had just emphasized the word "old". She glanced at Francine who was still smiling at her and obviously enjoying the byplay, and then decided to surrender while she was ahead.

"Well, what can I do for you ladies? I assume it's something to do with the way dear Austin went off my gift last night?"

"It was a piece of the Hale collection," Amanda nodded. "It went missing from the family estate in Grenada along with a lot of other valuables during the invasion a few years ago. We're trying to figure out why it turned up here and now."

"My admirers do know my love for sparkly things," mused Elisa. "But I draw the line at stolen goods. How can I help?"

Amanda reached into her purse and pulled out the note that had accompanied the earring. "Whoever gave it to you said 'Only tomorrow will tell' in the note. We're assuming that's to give you the other earring. So, has anyone contacted you about coming by the house, or invited you out anywhere?"

"Not a soul," said Elisa sorrowfully. "I'm sure most of the people at the party are still sleeping off their hangovers. One of the lovely after-effects of serving endless champagne, you know."

"I'm sure it is," said Amanda. "Was there anyone at the party who you think was most likely to have given you such a thing?"

"Well, I think you can eliminate the married men," mused Elisa. "Anyone who knows me knows that I don't partake in that kind of stolen goods either." She gave Amanda's sparking rings a pointed look.

"Well, I'm so happy to hear that," murmured Amanda, hiding her smile as she took notes. "Who does that leave you with?"

"Too many, I'm afraid, and most of them long-time military, " Elisa admitted. She glanced at Francine. "You know how it is. If you're going to throw yourself a good birthday party, you invite all the single men, not the happily settled ones."

"So true," agreed Francine. "Although I usually limit myself to one at a time."

"Oh, dear me, what would be the fun in that?" asked Elisa. "Tell you what," she went on brightly. "I just remembered a lunch date I can't miss. How about I pull together a guest list from last night and you can drop by later to pick it up. Would that suit?"

Amanda and Francine exchanged glances. "I guess it will have to," said Francine. "I'll drop by again around five? Will that give you time?" Off Elisa's nod, she turned to Amanda. "We can use the time to do some more research.

Amanda put out her hand to Elisa. "It was so interesting finally meeting you, Ms. Danton. I've heard so much about you."

"I'm sure you have," drawled Elisa. "Only from good sources, I trust."

"Only the best," Amana agreed with a bright smile. She turned to Francine. "And we'll go fishing in a few other ponds in the meantime."

"As will I," Elisa muttered under her breath as she watched them walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

"Here's the report on today," Francine said as she dropped the folder into Billy's inbox.

Billy leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers on his chest. "That was good work the two of you did today. I think even Dr. Smyth is impressed how quickly you wrapped this up."

Francine shrugged. "It really wasn't anything more than beating the bushes and a healthy dose of Amanda's usual luck."

"Amanda's luck?"

"You know what I mean. We followed up one dead lead after another and then we stumble onto the perp right back at the scene of the crime."

"Oh I see," said Billy grinning. "That kind of luck."

"I really shouldn't call it that," said Francine. "I mean, she's turned into a good agent and the only reason McGill was there at all is because we'd panicked her with all the stuff we'd been doing all day, but it does somehow seem like having Amanda along means we catch the lucky break when we need to."

"I know what you mean," Billy nodded. "So how did you two end up back there in the evening anyway?"

Francine shrugged. "We went back to get a full guest list, Elisa invited us to stay for dinner. She'd been stood up and wanted a distraction."

"I just bet she did," Billy huffed off a laugh.

Francine eyed him, then sat down in one of the chairs opposite his desk. "Okay, what do you know that I don't?"

"Elisa slid up to me at lunch today," he confided with a wide smile. "Wanted to know why Lee had dropped off the social circuit. I said he was off the market and was letting the other boys have a chance to play. And then she went off with a very determined glint in her eye."

"That doesn't surprise me at all," cracked Francine. "His name came up more than once during our chats with her today."

"How did Amanda handle that?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Well, she knew the worst of the stories going in," said Francine. "The office gossips made sure of that as soon as we heard about the assignment. Oh, don't worry," she rushed to say when Billy grimaced. "Elisa Danton was no match for Amanda."

"Really?"

"Oh believe me, it was delightful." She repeated some of the verbal sparring that had gone on and soon had Billy wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"I wish I could have seen it," he chortled.

"It wasn't a fair fight," Francine conceded with a grin. "Amanda knew who Elisa was, so that was a bit of an unfair advantage, although Elisa was far from subtle, and Amanda always had her other secret weapon."

Bill raised a brow inquiringly.

"She knows Lee adores her," she said simply. "Elisa doesn't know it, but she's a million miles in his rearview."

* * *

"Hello everyone, I'm home! Sorry I'm so late!" Amanda swing in the back door to the loud greetings of her family.

"Oh Amanda! Have you eaten yet? I can do you up a plate – we were just getting ready to put it all away but there's pot roast!"

"No don't worry, Mother, I had a bite to eat with Francine while we were working." Amanda hugged the boys and dropped kisses on their heads. "How was everyone's day? Got your homework done yet?"

"Yeah, Lee had to help me with my math," said Phillip. "I don't know why I have to learn this stuff though – it's not like I'll ever use any of it in real life."

"Oh, I think you might be surprised at what kinds of things you might need to know when you grow up, Sweetheart. You just never know where life is going to take you." She smiled at Lee over Phillip's head and he winked back.

"Are you sure you had enough dinner, Amanda?"

"Yes, Mother, I'm sure." She walked around the sofa to sit beside Lee and gave him a light kiss. "Hello handsome, how's the invalid today?"

"Well, I missed you, of course, and now I know how your mother always felt when I kept you out in the field for all hours. But my day was pretty good, considering I'm stuck at home," he smiled at her as he wrapped an arm around her. "I had a pretty interesting talk with your mother though."

"Oh really?" Amanda looked at hm quizzically. "Anything I should be concerned about?"

"Concerned? No," he answered. "But I should probably fill you in when it's a bit less chaotic."

The two of them glanced in unison at the mayhem in the kitchen as the boys continued to help Dotty clear up.

"How was your day?" he asked, a wistful look on his face. "Anything interesting?"

"Oh my, yes," she said. "It's amazing how much I can get done in a day when you're not around to distract me."

"I can imagine," Lee grinned at her. "But when dinner's over, can I distract you just a little bit?"

"I think I'll want more than a little bit of distracting," she murmured against his cheek, before reaching to nip his earlobe gently. "It's been a very… long… hard… day."

"Suddenly I'm feeling a lot less invalidish," he chuckled.

"Then you should definitely be in bed," she laughed softly against his lips before kissing him.

"Moooooom!" chorused Phillip and Jamie from the kitchen. "Gross! You promised no more making out in front of us!"

"Hold that thought," Amanda whispered to Lee. She shifted away to study his face – and to appease the boys' mock horror at any display of affection. "You're looking better," she decided. "You have some color in your cheeks."

"I sat out in the garden for a long time and got some sun," he said. "Although some of the color may just be residual from your mother making me blush."

"Was it very bad?" she grinned. "Did she grill you?"

"Like a KGB expert," he smiled back. "But I survived. Now tell me about your day – you looked like you were girding your loins for battle when you left this morning and you're home later than you said you would be."

"It turned out to be a minor skirmish at most," she answered with a smile. "And it took longer because we had to double back on some leads. But that worked out well in the end."

"How so?" he asked, pulling her in to snuggle again.

"Well, we were trying to track down who showed up at a birthday party last night with a stolen earring."

"A stolen earring? How is that Agency business?" he asked, confused.

"It was stolen out of a safe in Grenada during the invasion, along with a lot of other sensitive information," she answered.

"Ah – so you find who has the earring, you find who has the information."

"Exactly. And most of the party attendees were military so it took some narrowing down since so many of them had connections to that action."

"I take it the birthday party was in Kalorama?" he asked. "That's why you had to go there?"

She nodded.

"And who was the party for?" he asked. "Some congressman's trophy wife?"

"Something like that," she replied, eyes twinkling.

"Well, I certainly don't envy you that job," he said with feeling.

"How come?" she tilted her head and ran her hand along the shell of his ear.

"That whole set are so dull," he said. "And dealing with them for a case is like swimming in molasses. All they care about is their wealth and their reputations."

"Seems to me you used to spend a lot of time with that set," she reminded him. "When we met, you said they were your friends. And you were out all the time at all the embassy parties."

"And the endless rubber chicken dinners," he said. "Yeah, I was," he went on "but I never really liked any of those people – it was just a way to fill the days. And I was good at working the social circuit duty – hostesses like have a nice-looking single guy there, but I was wrong about one thing: they weren't my friends – they were just people I knew."

"You didn't like any of them?" she questioned. "Not even the beautiful girls in beautiful dresses? They certainly liked you." Her teasing smile took the edge of the comment.

Lee considered that for a moment. "You know, I can't think of a single one who was worth the time I spent on them. But you know what? That's okay, because I was just killing time until I met you." He leaned in to drop a light kiss on her nose.

"You say the nicest things," she said when they kiss broke off.

"It's true," he replied. "I was looking for love in all the wrong places. And I was lucky enough to find it. And it _wasn't_ at one of those parties!"

"I love you," Amanda murmured, snuggling in to rest her head on his shoulder and laying her hand gently over his injury.

"I love you too," he answered. They sat quietly for a moment before Lee shifted to look at her. "So what happened with the earring thing?" he asked.

"Oh well, that all got wrapped up in one day," she answered. "Francine and I spent half our day running around the Pentagon trying to figure out who might have any connections, and getting shut down by a Code Vermillion on the Grenada files –"

"A Code Vermillion?" Lee repeated in amazement. "I've only ever seen two of those in my whole career!"

"Well, then you know what a dead end that turned out to be," Amanda commented. "So, then we were back to plain old detective work on as many of the guests as Dr. Smyth could remember being there, and that wasn't really going anywhere either, but then we caught a break."

"Of course, you did," Lee grinned. "You and your lucky breaks."

"We went back to get a more complete guest list from the hostess and she invited us to join her for dinner."

"That was nice of her," said Lee.

"Mmm," Amanda said, blandly. "She said she'd hoped to have someone else over that night but hadn't been able to track them down in time, so she just wanted the company. Poor little thing."

"Someone else?" he asked, picking up on the mischief in her tone.

"There were oysters and champagne chilling in the ice bucket," said Amanda, eyes crinkling with laughter at the memory. "And she was dressed in something very comfortable."

"Oh my," Lee grinned. "That kind of someone."

"Also a lot of chocolate-dipped strawberries," she went on, "so Francine was very happy."

"I bet she was," agreed Lee. "So you got a free seduction dinner that was going to waste, but what was the lucky break?"

"Francine went to use the powder room upstairs because the downstairs one was having plumbing problems and would you believe, there was someone in the master bedroom ransacking it? Francine had her down and cuffed before she knew what hit her."

"Her?" Lee repeated, eyes widening.

"Yep – the aide-de-camp for General Garrett. Turns out she had a partner who had a massive crush on Elisa and he'd left the other earring in the bedroom to try and win her over. When I left, they were in separate interrogation rooms, racing to see who could turn on the other one faster."

"That's great," said Lee in a slightly strangled voice. "Uhhh, did you say Elisa?"

"Yes, Elisa Danton," said Amanda, in her most innocent voice. "Do you know her?"

"We, um, well, we might have met once or twice," he stammered.

"Well, if I see her again, I'll be sure to pass along your regards," said Amanda.

She looked away for a moment to hide her smile and allow Lee time to compose himself and found her gaze drawn to the television.

"What on earth are you watching?"

"It's a Doris Day movie," he said quickly, obviously relieved that she had changed the subject. "Your mother insisted it was one of her favorites but I think she was messing with me."

"Why is she singing about Geiger counters?" asked Amanda in an awed tone.

"Beats me," said Lee. "These movies were never known for their intricate plots. I think she's in love with one of those guys, but they all look alike in the suits and hats."

"Hopefully she can tell them apart and gets the right one," Amanda twinkled at him.

"I think the right girl always gets the right guy in the end, don't you?" said Lee, squeezing her gently.

"Oh, I do," she agreed. "I really do."


End file.
